"We're Home Now": How a Rehousing Intervention Shapes the Mental Well-Being of Inuit Adults in Nunavut, Canada.

This study explores the ways in which a rehousing intervention shapes the mental well-being of Inuit adults living in Nunavut, Canada, where the prevalence of core housing need is four times the national average. More specifically, it compares the housing experiences of participants who were rehoused in a newly built public housing unit, to the experiences of participants on the public housing waitlist. The study was developed in collaboration with organizations based in Nunavut and Nunavik. Semi-structured interviews were transcribed, and a deductive-inductive thematic analysis was performed based on Gidden's concept of ontological security, and Inuit-specific mental health conceptualization. Twenty-five Inuit adults participated (11 rehoused, 14 waitlist). Three themes were identified to describe how the subjective housing experiences of participants improved their mental well-being after rehousing: (1) refuge creation; (2) self-determination and increased control; (3) improved family dynamics and identity repair. Implicit to these themes are the contrasting housing experiences of participants on the waitlist. Construction initiatives that increase public housing stock and address gaps in the housing continuum across Inuit regions could promote well-being at a population level. However, larger socio-economic problems facing Inuit may hamper beneficial processes stemming from such interventions.

Travail de care des travailleuses de la santé en situation de pandémie de COVID-19 : quel engagement de la part des autorités gouvernementales?

La COVID-19 a pressé les gouvernements à intervenir à l'aide de données partielles sur l'efficacité des moyens. Les femmes sont particulièrement touchées car elles sont plus nombreuses à s'occuper des autres. Cette étude a pour but de comprendre l'influence des décisions politiques sur les conditions de vie et de travail des travailleuses de la santé. Une analyse des interventions gouvernementales de santé publique du Québec et des revendications des travailleuses de la santé retrouvées dans les documents journalistiques et les communiqués de presse officiels du gouvernement (13 avril au 1er juillet 2020) a été effectuée. Les résultats démontrent le manque de reconnaissance des autorités face à certains types de care, ainsi qu'une inadéquation dans les moyens de prise en charge pour prendre soin de la population. Le peu de reconnaissance des conditions de vie et de travail lors de décisions politiques engendre une répartition inéquitable des fardeaux associés à la pandémie.

Do you mind if I smoke here? Exploring the insights that public benches bring to public health research.

In this commentary, we illustrate how exploring the meanings and uses of everyday, seemingly mundane, public objects can advance our understanding of health-related practices and the social norms that shape them. We use the example of the public bench and smoking for this purpose. By observing the design of public benches, the places where they are found, the meanings people attribute to them, and the way people use them, we can learn what health-related practices (e.g., smoking) and who (e.g., people who smoke or who do not smoke) are included and excluded as part of local community life. We thus consider the idea that public benches can be instructive in helping us understand how our health-related practices may be shaped by what can be seen enacted on or from public benches. We ultimately demonstrate how this type of object-based experiential exploration, largely absent from public health research, can provide a novel and insightful perspective to public health research.

RéSUMé: Dans ce commentaire, nous illustrons comment l'exploration des utilisations et des significations attribuées aux objets publics quotidiens apparemment anodins peut avancer notre compréhension des pratiques liées à la santé et des normes sociales qui les façonnent. Nous utilisons, à cette fin, l'exemple du banc public en lien avec le tabagisme. Le design des bancs publics, les endroits où ils se trouvent, la façon dont ils sont utilisés et le sens qui leur est attribué peuvent nous renseigner sur les pratiques liées à la santé (p.ex. fumer) et sur les personnes (p.ex. les gens qui fument et ceux qui ne fument pas) qui font partie intégrante ou, à l'inverse, sont exclues de la vie communautaire. Ainsi, nous considérons les apprentissages que les bancs publics nous permettent de faire pour mieux comprendre comment les pratiques liées à la santé sont influencées par ce qui peut être vu en y étant assis ou en observant ceux qui y sont assis. Enfin, nous démontrons comment cette exploration expérientielle basée sur l'objet, largement absente en santé publique, peut offrir une perspective de recherche novatrice dans ce domaine.

Socioeconomic inequalities in secondhand smoke exposure before, during and after implementation of Quebec's 2015 'An Act to Bolster Tobacco Control'.

BACKGROUND: To better understand whether tobacco control policies are associated with changes in secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure across socioeconomic groups, we monitored differences in socioeconomic inequalities in SHS exposure in households and private vehicles among youth and adults before, during and after adoption of Quebec's 2015 An Act to Bolster Tobacco Control. METHODS: Using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey, we examined the prevalence of daily exposure to SHS in households and private vehicles among youth (ages 12 to 17) and adults (ages 18+) across levels of household education and income (separately) in 2013/2014, 2015/2016 and 2017/2018. We tested differences in the magnitude of differences in outcomes over time across education and income categories using logistic models with interaction terms, controlling for age and sex. RESULTS: We detected inequalities in SHS exposure outcomes at each time point, most markedly at home among youth (OR of SHS exposure among youth living in the 20% poorest households vs the 20% richest=4.9, 95% CI 2.7 to 6.2). There were decreases in SHS exposure in homes and cars in each education/income group over time. The magnitude of inequalities in SHS exposure in homes and cars, however, did not change during this period. CONCLUSIONS: The persistence of socioeconomic inequalities in SHS exposure despite implementation of new tobacco control laws represents an increasingly worrisome public health challenge, particularly among youth. Policymakers should prioritise the reduction of socioeconomic inequalities in SHS exposure and consider the specific needs of socioeconomically disadvantaged populations in the design of future legislation.

Multidisciplinarity in health promotion: a bibliometric analysis of current research.

Health promotion (HP) is a relatively recent field that stems from, notably, public health, sociology, political science, psychology and education. This multidisciplinarity has contributed to HP's challenged institutionalization. Scholars have so far predominately explored HP's multidisciplinarity using anecdotal approaches, limiting our understanding of the breadth and interplay of the disciplines constituting HP research. The overall aim of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of HP's multidisciplinarity using a bibliometric approach. We developed a three-pronged approach: (i) we examined the most cited journals within Health Promotion International; (ii) we asked an international panel of HP scholars (n = 27) to vote on the journals most relevant to their work; (iii) we examined the most common words in article abstracts among journals which received the highest number of votes. We used multiple correspondence analyses to examine similarities between HPI references, scholars' votes and abstracts' words. We found evidence that HP research reached across numerous disciplines but segregated into distinct subgroups with conflicting perspectives. We found that HPI was the only journal that was identified as relevant by a majority (81% of participants). Multidisciplinarity is a key feature of HP. It can strengthen HP by enriching our understanding of health and social issues from a variety of perspectives, but it may also divide experts into disciplinary silos. This may ultimately weaken its institutional pathways and its contribution to public health. More academic venues and institutions should be developed to facilitate collaboration among HP scholars and practitioners.

Young adults' experiences of neighbourhood smoking-related norms and practices: A qualitative study exploring place-based social inequalities in smoking.

In this qualitative exploratory study we asked how smoking among young adults relates to the local neighbourhood context to better understand place-based social inequalities in smoking. We used data collected through focus groups with young adults from four economically diverse neighbourhoods in Montreal, Canada. Using the collective lifestyles framework to guide data analysis, we examined within and between neighbourhood social norms, practices, and agency. We found that some smoking-related social norms, practices and agency were particular to neighbourhoods of the same socio-economic status (SES). For example, permissive smoking-related social norms in low-SES neighbourhoods made it difficult to avoid smoking but also reduced local experiences of smoking-related stigma and isolation. In high-SES neighbourhoods, strong anti-smoking norms led to smoking in secret and/or amidst 'acceptable' social settings. Findings may inform future investigations and local-level interventions focused on this age group.

Letter to the Editor - The implications of the professionalization of health promotion in Canada: a response to JR Graham's letter to the editor. / Lettre à la rédaction - Les répercussions de la professionnalisation de la promotion de la santé au Canada : une réponse à la lettre à la rédaction de J. R. Graham.

This letter is in response to the following Letter to the Editor: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/hpcdp-pspmc/37-1/ar-04-eng.php.

RÉSUMÉ: Cette lettre est en réponse à la Lettre à la rédaction suivante : http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/hpcdp-pspmc/37-1/ar-04-fra.php.

On the importance of promoting graduate funding opportunities: A response to CIHR President Alain Beaudet's open letter.

No abstract available.

Role of context in evaluating neighbourhood interventions promoting positive youth development: a narrative systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: This narrative systematic review explored (1) how neighbourhood interventions promote positive youth development (PYD) and (2) the role of context for these interventions. We asked: How do neighbourhood interventions become effective in promoting PYD for adolescents aged 12-18 years? METHODS: Articles (n = 19) were analyzed using a framework integrating standards of health promotion evaluation and elements of the ecological systems perspective. RESULTS: First, results highlight the key characteristics of interventions that promote PYD. An intervention's atmosphere encouraging supportive relationships and an intervention's activities aiming to build skills and that are real and challenging promoted PYD elements including cognitive competences, confidence, connection, leadership, civic engagement, and feelings of empowerment. Secondly, this review identified facilitators (e.g. partnerships and understanding of the community) and constraints (e.g. funding and conflicts) to an intervention's integration within its context. CONCLUSIONS: Results regarding interventions' characteristics promoting PYD confirm findings from past reviews. Our findings indicate that context is an important element of effective interventions. This review encourages future evaluations to analyze the role of context to build a better understanding of its role.